Return To Me
by crazyanimelover98
Summary: At last the Shredder is defeated, but at a price. During the battle the turtles die, leaving Splinter to await their return. 20 years pass and the boys are reborn as humans, separated and living in different households the four of them feel empty and incomplete. To make matter worse, their enemy has returned with them, intent on finishing what was started in their past lives.
1. Prologue: My Only Wish

**A/N: Haha! I'm back! Welcome to both returning readers who loved the old story as well as new readers getting introduced to this for the first time. This is the rewritten version of my story "Return To Me" that I decided to both fix some issues I had with the old version and to just improve upon the story as a whole as my style and I have grown over time. While the old version is discontinued I do still have it up and available to be read if you feel like comparing and contrasting or even just to get a hint as to what the story may shape out to be, feel free to take a look at the version posted on Fafiction on** **my profile. Just go to the list of stories and click "Return to Me: Discontinued Version"**

 **Okay, that we are all up to speed, WARNINGS DOWN BELOW!**

 **Some things you need to know about this story: Shredder is just a really really evil human in this story. Really just...not a nice guy. This is a turtlecest story...of a sorts (Can I still call it that even though they aren't turtles anymore?!) The pairings include Raph/Leo and Mikey/Donnie. I also feel compelled to warn you that there is going to be physical and sexual abuse as well as some full on rape unrelated to that sexual abuse and perhaps some referenced forced drug use (we'll see more about that later in the story though), but these won't be until the second installment of the story. I plan for this to be duology, yay! But there will definitely be some sexy times between the boys! If any of this bothers you, feel free to exit stage right quietly. So I believe that is all, and without any further adui I hope you guys enjoy the new prologue, and tell me what you think.**

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Everything hurt... His entire body felt so heavy that even opening his eyes took too much effort. So he just lay there, on his side, still and silent, in the darkness. Through that darkness came a new pain, starting in his heart and spreading throughout his entire being. This one seemed to overtake the physical pain entirely, bringing tears to his eyes. With gritted teeth Leonardo fought to remember what had happened to cause so much hurt, but it only seemed to swallow him up the more he tried.

Hazy images danced in the blue banded terrapin's mind, fighting through the pain in an effort to take up some residence in his head. Still, there was only the pain. His brothers... Shit! Where were his brothers?!

Even as he willed with all his being for his eyes to open, Leonardo could only manage to meekly peek through the small crack his eyelids had allowed him; his surroundings just as blurred and hazy as his memories had been. With what remained of his sight came the rest of his senses as well.

It was terrible. The scent of freshly spilled blood and death clogged up his nostrils, making him want to gag. He probably would have if he had the strength. The pain he had felt before intensified as he became more aware, though Leonardo could only manage a low groan to voice his agony. All throughout his body, the turtle felt cuts, most still leaking out blood. However, those wounds weren't what caught his attention.

Protruding from his plastron Leonardo could see two, blood caked blades among the shattered scales surrounding them; not an inch of them left untainted by the crimson that flowed freely through the wound. Seeing this, his eyes widened even if only a little.

Gradually, he tried to will his arm up to the blades and weakly gripped at them. Grunting at the pain, he pulled as hard as he could at them, but it didn't seem to be enough. Neither of the blades budged even an inch. The blades, while a very uncomfortable source of stinging pain, did serve a purpose, though. As the fallen warrior stared at the offending things, memories of that night's events returned to him in waves.

The time had come at long last. Tonight was the night Leonardo and his brothers had agreed that they would end the Shredder's reign of terror once and for all, and avenge Splinter's Master Yoshi. They had fought their way into Shredder's headquarters, fought more foot ninjas than he had bothered to count and then... nothing. All he could remember next was charging at the one who had proved himself the very embodiment of evil. Yet the hurt inside spiked again, stronger than before.

Leo remembered feeling unbridled rage surging through his veins, as the pain was doing now. Why he was so angry, he couldn't recall.

More images flashed in his mind's eye. He could see the Shredder blocking his rage-fueled attacks with a cocky ease. He watched as his senses were returned to him in shock of seeing and feeling the two blades that had always rested on the Shredder's gauntlets embed themselves into the front of Leo's shell and pierce his chest with a horrible _**CRACK!**_. He remembered the choked gasp that left his lips as he stared down in horror and disbelief as his wound sluggishly seeped blood.

Looking around himself now, he could see that most of the blood he was smelling came from the puddle of it he was laying in. How long had he lain there?

Another image glimmered in Leonardo's mind. He saw himself separating the blades from their master with a swift and powerful turn of his body. Thinking back on it now, he noted the move may have been the reason he was bleeding so terribly. Finally, the terrapin saw himself slice the shocked Shredder's head clean off, ending the life of their enemy and the battle as well. After that he remembered falling and waking up as he was now.

So where were his brothers?

With great difficulty, due to what he knew now to be blood loss, Leo managed to prop himself up with shaky arms to look around. Sure enough, the Shredder's body lay a few feet away from him, his head in its own surrounding pool of blood. So where… Dark brown eyes looked around desperately only to land on a sight he'd rather have missed.

Donatello and Michelangelo were the first ones Leo saw. A peaceful if not slightly pained expression was on his youngest brother's innocent face. Michelangelo's baby blue eyes now glazed over by death; yet, a small smile graced his features. Donatello lay over Michelangelo's body, covering the youngest turtle so completely that if Leo had been positioned in any other direction he wouldn't have seen Michelangelo at all. Dried tear stains on Donatello's olive-green cheeks told him Michelangelo had died first. By the numerous swords sticking out of his back... Donatello had been trying to protect their little brother's body.

Tears finally made their way down the oldest turtle's face. He'd failed them... The pain in his heart made sense now. His two youngest brothers were gone. He'd failed his job as a leader to protect them. And if they were gone, did that mean Raph was…?

Looking around once more, a choked sob escaped Leo's lips as he laid eyes on the red banded terrapin. Out of all three of his brothers it was obvious that Raphael had taken the most hits before finally falling. Not an inch of his body was spared from the bruises and lacerations that marred the darkest turtle's skin. A new, fresher wave of pain coursed through Leonardo's body at the sight of his mate in such a state. To see Raphael, **_his_** Raphael beaten, battered, cold, and dead not too far from where he lay...

Summoning up what remained of his strength, Leonardo dragged himself to the place his mate lay still, never to open his beautiful golden eyes again. Every movement only caused his body more misery. His aching limbs begged him to stop, to slip back into the darkness. Still, he dragged himself forward, inch by inch to his lover's body, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

When, at long last, he'd reached Raph's corpse, Leonardo's body collapsed on the ground beside him. Only capable of feebly taking his brother's hand into his own as his blurred vision grew dark once more.

'Why had it come to this?' he thought as he looked into the forever closed eyes of his love. What had they done to deserve such an end? Was it because of their love? Were their feelings for each other so wrong that they deserved such a terrible fate as retribution for their sin?

'Tch, screw fate,' Leonardo thought as he felt his eyes begin to close, 'If that's the reason for all this then so be it. I don't regret any of it. Though... I do have one wish,' A few more tears escaped his closed lids and fell lethargically down his cheeks. 'My last and only wish… let's all meet up again. If we're ever reborn, I hope in my next life… we could all… be together again. That next time...we could be happy...please.'

With that final thought, the oldest turtle's breathing stilled and Leonardo followed his younger brothers in death.

But it was not the end…


	2. Chapter 1: The Gift of a Friend

**A/N: WHAAAAT?! Two chapters on the same day? Haha, yeah I know, but you have all been so supportive of my choice so I figured why not. Besides, this chapter is where the changes really start to show anyway. Hope you guys like it and I will see you in the next chapter!**

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" _Sometimes you think you'll be fine by yourself,_

 _Cause a dream is a wish that you make all alone._

 _It's easy to feel like you don't need help,_

 _But it's harder to walk on your own."_

 _~Demi Lovato: "Gift of a Friend"_

Donald hated seeing movies, tv shows, and really any media involving high school. He didn't enjoy the movie "Mean Girls" where everyone was either sexualized or a stereotype (sometimes both at the same time). He didn't like watching the movie, "The Breakfast Club" or "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" where the adults were the bad guys and assholes got away with assholish things. He didn't find tv shows like Icarly or Glee amusing or fun to watch. He didn't see the point in any of it, nothing was real about them.

He didn't know what school was like when his parents were teenagers but he never saw a cliche of conventionally attractive women who held the world in the palm of their hands. He never saw anyone get stuffed into a locker; - honestly the lockers at his school were too small for that anyway - Nor had he ever seen anyone get their head dunked into a flushed toilet. Everyone was a little nerdy in their own right these days and he hadn't seen anyone get called out for that.

Occasionally he'd see people get into a fight, but those weren't usually held in the school because kids were smarter than that. Every now and then, he'd notice a kid coming to school drunk or high but everyone in highschool acted like zombies so teachers never noticed and he never said anything. In fact he made an effort to stay as far out of the public eye as he could. He kept to himself and just waited for the day to be over.

Oh, he was a good student, don't get me wrong. He did all his homework and then some, he aced all his tests and quizzes without even really having to try. School was a bit too easy for him. In fact he was so good he and his teachers had a sort of unspoken agreement.

You see, Donald had a knack for the sciences, not any one particular field per say but a fascination with the study of chemistry, biology, mechanical engineering, and botany among other things. The one thing he could genuinely say he loved to do was experiment, to build and tear down, to create and study. So, by the time he was in his junior year his teachers knew him well enough that he could go to the library, and the science rooms whenever he wanted to, so long as he showed up at the beginning of class to be marked present, wasn't disruptive of any classes that may be going on, and cleaned up after himself.

He followed all these rules to tee. It was, to him, the only real reason worth showing up to school at all, aside from just being a reason to get out of the house. Kept him from being bored.

Donald wasn't the most...sociable of people. He made an effort to stay out of the public eye and the business of others - he just found it easier that way. He would never have to worry about anyone but himself and he'd never have to bother others with his personal life. Besides, this was high school, and everyone knew that the friends made in high school were impossible to keep later in life, so why put in the effort? There just wasn't any logical point in making friends. At least, that was what he told himself for three years, and for the most part it worked.

He had a routine going that worked for him and he didn't mind that at had a plan and he was sticking to it. Get through high school, go to college, get a degree, live a long life of study before quietly dying. That was all he wanted, all he could hope for, and that was fine. He didn't need people. He didn't need the unnecessary complications and anxieties that came with social interactions with other people. He didn't need other people pushing their problems onto him.

Donald went through his days feeling more machine than man, and that was fine. Machines were efficient. They were reliable and often performed much better than people. With machines, things like race, sexuality, and introversion didn't matter. He understood where he fit into this world and was content to just live out his life and fade into obscurity...until he met a boy with the shiniest blue eyes he had ever seen.

He didn't notice the blonde male at first. He had been working on inspecting the several different types diatoms from the school's nearby lake through a microscope. He couldn't say exactly how long he had been looking at said algae, which made meeting a pair of bright blue eyes when he looked up from them all that more surprising.

With a gasp, the brunet jerked back and laid an umber brown hand over his horribly fast beating heart. The blonde didn't seemed phased. He just smiled up at Donald and chirped, "Whatcha doin?"

The young scientist raised an ebony brow, not sure how to answer that question. Well...actually he knew full well how to answer that question, he just wasn't sure why it was being asked at all. He wasn't used to people approaching him, nevermind having them ask what he was doing. He was not at all prepared for his.

He avoided eye contact as his thumb pressed at the tip of each of his other fingers.

"I'm seeing how the diatoms react to certain stimulus added to or taken away from their environment and how it affects their ability to photosynthesize."

The blonde looked blankly at the elder boy before smiling brightly, "I did not understand a single word of that, but explain it to me anyway!"

Donald's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected the laughter but not at all what followed it.

"Uh...w-what are you doing here? Don't you have class or-"

"Dude, it's lunch time!"

Looking out the lab doors, which had been left open for some reason, Donald could indeed see that there were many more people milling casually around the halls or just standing still and talking to one another.

"I see...well why are you here?"

The blonde shrugged, "I was just walkin around, kinda bored when I saw you looking at something. I got curious, now answer meeee~"

With the stranger's whine, Donald found out he was, in fact, not a robot. He was very much human.A stupid, defective human with a heart that would not slow down and was very bad at talking to people.

"I...well um...l-look and see!"

With a dark blush, Donald turned the eyepiece of the microscope towards the boy, unsure of what else to do.

Sky blue eyes widened with interest and he quickly peeked down at the slide. After a little while, the boy pulled away with a pout, "I don't see anything."

Wow was this kid expressive.

"It takes a bit of practice...here."

Donald moved to the other side of the lab bench to stand beside the stranger and looked into the eyepiece, moving the arrow at the eyepiece around to point to one.

"They are really small, even at this magnification, so you have to kind of train your eye to see them."

After a few moments he pulled back and stepped away.

"I have the arrow pointing at one for you, right on the glass shell."

At the word "glass" the stranger got really excited again and peeked down once more.

"Oh! I think I see it! That tiny green thingy?!"

The boy pulled away, "It's not moving or anything...what's supposed to be so special about it?"

The brunet suddenly felt energized and without realizing it, he flew into a detailed explanation about the importance of the tiny algae to the ecosystem of the pond and the broader importance to humanity. His arms waved around expressively as he paced back and forth and the boy watched him through it all, mildly worrying he may get whiplash from how fast Donald's attitude had changed.

Donald didn't stop until the bell signaling for everyone had five minutes to get to class rang and he froze in place. His excitement drained from him and he turned pale. His hands started to fidget again as he looked pointedly at the floor.

"I...I'm sorry, I wasted your lunch babbling on about stupid sea-plants."

The boy quickly shook his head and smiled up at Donald again, "Are you kidding me? That was so cool!"

Donald's head jerked up and he met babyy blue eyes with his hazel ones, "What?"

The boy nodded, "Yeah. You got real excited about em, it was cute."

That made Donald blush a dark red, allowing this one to be seen against his dark skin. Cute? He had never been called cute before.

"There you are!"

Both boys jumped and turned to the door to see a very agitated red head peeking into the room at them. Well specifically, he was glaring at the excitable blonde boy.

Stomping inside he swatted the blonde's arm, "Where the hell were yah? I was lookin all over for you, yah lil twerp!"

The blonde yelped and smiled sheepishly at the elder male, "Ah, sorry Ralph I was just hangin out with my new friend, see?"

The smaller boy made a gesture towards Donald with both hands, making the angry one turn his molten gold gaze on him.

Donald realized how muscular the older teen before him was as he loomed over him and felt his blood turn to ice.

"Who tah hell's dis?"

The boy spoke with a heavy Brooklyn accent. Donald didn't even know people still had Brooklyn accents in New York anymore.

"I-I'm Donald...I was just….uh…"

Ralph glanced at the microscope and smirked, "You some kinda nerd?"

"I...erm…"

The blonde boy frowned and nudged Ralph, "Quit picking on him!"

He then turned to beam at Donald again, "Don't mind my brother, he likes to be an ass sometimes. I'm Michel by the way, friends call me Mikey."

Ralph scoffed, "What friends?"

Mikey glared up at his brother, "Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Donnie. We'll hang out some more tomorrow, okay?"

Donald nodded silently as Mikey pulled his older sibling out of the room so they could get to class.

It was only after the two of them left that Donald realized Mikey had gotten his name wrong, and a few minutes more before he realized the blonde had said he wanted to hang out with him again.


	3. Chapter 2: Two Worlds

**A/N: Heeeeeey guys...I'm...alive...yay~ I'm really sorry how long this has taken me. Still, I haven't given up on it! I'm working at it slowly but surely and I thank those of you who have come all this way with me and welcome the new comers. I am greatful for your patience and can't wait to see how you all like this chapter!**

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" _Raise your head up._

 _Lift high the load._

 _Take strength from those that need you._

 _Build high the walls._

 _Build strong the beams._

 _A new life is waiting,_

 _But danger's no stranger here."_

~Phil Collins: "Two Worlds"

"You're late boys."

Both brothers winced.

They had known that hoping their father wouldn't notice was asking too much. It didn't help that they lived in a relatively small apartment, and their front door was in the direct line of sight of their father's favorite chair.

Mikey didn't dare take his eyes off the living room floor. He opened his mouth to speak, but his brother beat him to it, looking their father dead in the eyes as he slipped into autopilot.

"It was my fault. I...I was havin' fun and I lost track of the time."

Their father sighed and shook his head as he pushed himself up from his chair. Mikey tensed. Ralph's eyes dulled

"You two called me, while I was in the middle of work to bother me with questions about playing with some kid you met..."

His walk was slow and predatory. He slunk across the room towards them almost like a mountain lion, but they both knew he was far more unpredictable.

"I decided to be nice, decided to indulge you on the condition you boys come home at what time?"

"7pm exactly, sir," Ralph answered, staring blankly ahead. His entire body was a mix of relaxed and tense. His back was perfectly straight but his face was a slack, expressionless blank slate. His shoulders were rigid but his arms were loose by his sides.

Their father gripped his jaw and jerked his head in the direction of the clock hanging above the couch.

"What time does that clock say now?"

His voice was calm, almost as if he were still only talking to them from the couch.

"7:17 pm, sir."

The man gave a satisfied nod and let his son's jaw go as he, too, stared at the clock.

"7:17 pm," their father echoed.

Ralph's head whipped to the side as a loud clap ripped through the air. Mikey flinched and looked down, shutting his eyes tightly. One of Ralph's hands reached up to touch his now stinging cheek, only for his wrist to be caught in his father's bruising grip. Cold forest green eyes stared into amber ones.

"Did I say 7:17pm?"

Despite the anger that undercut his words, his voice was still light and calm. A stranger may even call it pleasant if they didn't listen hard enough.

Ralph hated that tone.

"No sir."

Ralph's response was met with a knee to the stomach. All at once the air was forced out of his lungs and he dropped to the floor a coughing, gasping mess. As he struggled to get the air back into his lungs their father just stared down at him, as if disgusted by how fast his son was floored.

"Now look what you did, Ralphie," he tsked. "You got me all worked up and angry again."

Ralph tried to apologize, but he was still fighting to get air back into his lungs, tears misting his vision against his will. No matter how much he blinked they wouldn't stop, and his father caught on. His calm demeanor slipped away, and he became _really_ aggressive

"What, you're crying now? Trying to make me the bad guy? Throwing a fit because you don't want to admit you fucked up? Well I can give you something to cry about you little shit!"

He drew his leg back, and started violently kicking the teen, forcing him to curl into a tight ball as he keened for breath and tried to find his words again.

"I give you a home!"

Kick

"I feed you!"

Kick

"I work hard every single fucking day to make sure you and your brother have clothes on your back!"

He gave one more kick before stopping in a huff, taking a few deep breaths, collecting himself. And then he knelt down.

"All I asked for you in return is to just...just listen to me. Is that really so difficult for you, Ralphie? Do you like making me upset like this? Do you enjoy it when I punish you? I don't!"

Ralph panted heavily as he kept eye contact with his father. The lack of response, however, made his father impatient. He gripped Ralph's hair and lifted his head by it, ignoring the boy's wince and pained groan. After giving it a firm shake he barked, "Answer me you little shit!"

"N-no...sir…" Ralph wheezed, "I-I don't like making you upset."

"Then why do you do it so much? I love you boys! I put my whole life on hold for you two. I could have left you both on the street. I could have let you starve, but I didn't, did I?"

"No, sir."

"I take care of you boys, don't I?"

"Yes, sir."

"Damn fucking right I do."

Ralph flinched as his father shook him by the hair again, involuntary tears making their way out as it felt like his scalp was being ripped apart.

"You boys wouldn't last a day out in the real world without me to come home to. You can't handle yourselves, you don't think hard enough! You can't even handle one fucking order, what are you two gunna do when it's just you?"

Ralph didn't have an answer for that, but he didn't need one because his father carried on.

"You think you two can run to that...that new friend of yours?"

That got a slight reaction from Ralph. They had fun today with Donnie. His family seemed to like them well enough. Maybe-

"They'll get tired of you."

That killed Ralph's train of thought right away.

"They don't know you little shit-stains like I do. Give it time and they'll leave. No friend lasts past high school. No, I'm all you boys got. I'm the only one who can stand to be around you two for too long."

Ralph frowned. That couldn't be right. They had fun today. Ralph had seen his brother laugh today - really _laugh_! Perhaps that was what spurred his lapse of sanity. He was desperately clinging to a very false hope when he murmured.

"You're wrong."

He knew as soon as the words left his lips that he had fucked up. The rage in his father's eyes only hammered in that point home before his fists could follow up. It was his own fault; he should have known not to say something that stupid out loud. So he laid there and took the beating, allowed those stupid thoughts to be violently removed from his head. In the end, their dad was right. He was always right. This was a passing thing, nothing more. Donnie would get tired of them.

He and Mikey only really had each other.

However, the realization came too late to save him. He didn't really know when he ended up on the floor, or when he wrapped his arms around his head. He knew he would be incredibly sore later, even as his body felt like it was going numb. He glanced up between his arms and caught sight of his brother.

Mikey openly wept, his legs rooted in place, the entire upper half of him trembling. He should have known better, should have fought more with Ralph, should have listened to his suspicions when the day got unusually fun for them. He should have just told Donnie no.

" _Uhhhh...Donnie, you sure this is the right place?"_

" _Yeah! I know it isn't much but-"_

" _Are you kidding? This is great!"_

The blonde fell to his knees and covered his ears, another sob wracked through his body.

They were having so much fun…

 _Ralph looked around, brow cocked, and asked, "This is your room? It's so...normal!"_

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _Mikey giggled. "We both figured it'd look a bit more...sciency."_

They were happy.

 _Donnie blushed before laughing sheepishly. "Well then, I uh...guess I'm sorry to disappoint. I could um...show you my lab i-if you guys-"_

 _Mikey's eyes sparkled."You have a lab?!"_

" _Well, it's actually just the garage, but my parents let me run tests and experiments in there and-"_

" _Yer not gunna show us any Frankenstein's roadkill or fucked up lizards are yah?"_

 _Mikey gasped and flicked his arm. "Ralph!"_

 _Donnie looked horrified and shook his head. "NO! God, no! I-I just have a thing for seeing how certain things react with each other a-and studying how things work. I only really have access to microorganisms found in nature right now…"_

" _Like the diatoms?" Mikey chirped, looking very proud of his ability to remember the word._

 _Donnie looked shocked that he had even bothered to try. "Uh...yeah. Like the diatoms. I have other plankton samples from the river if you guys maybe want to-"_

" _BUGS OF THE SEA!"_

 _In a rush of gold Mikey was out of the room bounding toward the townhouse garage, leaving just the older boys standing in Donnie's room. The young scientist stared off in the direction Mikey had run off, looking rather dumbstruck, like this was a first for him._

 _Ralph at least had it in him to look slightly apologetic. "He has a thing for...well, weird stuff…"_

 _Donnie shook his head absentmindedly. "Ah, don't worry about it…though we should probably go after him."_

They should have known better. They did know better, but they tried to drag it out anyway.

" _So...my mom is making stew tonight. She tends to make a lot more than the three of us could actually eat in one night. Would you guys maybe want to…"_

 _Donnie looked rather uncomfortable. Both boys could see that. It wasn't hard to tell that they were the first people he'd had over in a while, if he'd had anyone over at all. Even Mikey saw the shocked looks he'd received when he asked questions about the little microorganisms Donnie kept out of genuine interest. It was a bit sad to see really. He seemed so shy, Mikey just wanted to give him a hug. Ralph noticed the effort it seemed to take on Donnie's part to even get that far in the offer to have them eat with him and his family._

 _Perhaps that's why he interrupted Mikey._

" _That sounds great Donnie but-"_

" _You're sure it's okay with your folks?"_

 _Donnie and Mikey both looked to Ralph with very different expressions._

" _I...I should probably ask just to be sure...wait right here!"_

 _Neither boy missed the smile he had as he ran back into the house_

Mikey choked on a sob. He should have fought harder.

" _What are you doing?"_

" _It's fine."_

" _But dad-"_

" _I got it, okay? It won't take that long. We stick around for food and leave. That simple. You can smell it already, we got plenty of time."_

" _But what if-"_

" _Good news!"_

 _Donnie hurried back into the garage lab and smiled warmly at them both. "They both said yes."_

 _Mikey knew then he should say no. Should stand his ground. But Donnie looked so happy._

" _Sweet!"_

 _He beamed happily and linked arms with a now blushing Donnie. "I call the seat by you."_

They had forgotten not to trust good days like this. They wanted so badly to believe…

" _Wow! You two must have been hungry."_

 _Mikey and Ralph blushed, finishing their bowls at around the same time while their hosts were only about halfway through theirs. They were used to being fast eaters._

 _Still, Mikey beamed at Donnie's mom. "You're just a really good cook, ma'am."_

 _She laughed and waved a dismissive hand, holding her husband's with her free hand. "Hey now, none of that here. Dennis and I have names and are happy to go by them. You boys can just call me Eliza."_

 _Dennis nodded with an easy smile. "You boys can grab more if you want, please feel free to help yourselves. "_

 _Donnie looked between his parents and his new friends, smiling a bit more. This was the happiest and most relaxed they had seen him, though being out of school may have something to do with it._

 _Neither brother knew what to say to that. The interaction was so...casual. They ended up getting another serving and chatting a bit more with the family. It was the best dinner they'd had in years._

They should have just gone home.

Mikey couldn't take it anymore. He stumbled over to their father and hugged his arm tightly, hiding his face in his shoulder.

"Stop it! Please! Please stop! It's my fault! Please-"

He was cut short when their father shook him off and back-handed him. Mikey was then grabbed by the front of his shirt and pulled uncomfortably close with a whimper. "Was I fucking talking to you, Michel?"

Mikey sniffled and laid his hand over their father's. "N-no sir...but please…"

He looked down at the unnervingly still form of his brother. "H-he learned his lesson, sir. I-I can only cover so m-much...please."

That seemed to register in their father. He stared down at his youngest son a few moments more before letting him go with a sigh. "Clean him up, then. We'll talk more about this later tonight, you understand me?"

Mikey gave a meek nod, staring down at the floor and suppressing a shudder. "Y-yes sir."

His head was gently tilted up until he was looking deep into his father's eyes.

"Everything I do, I do for you boys. You know that right?"

Mikey nodded. "Yes sir."

Their father brushed the tears from his face tenderly, like he was holding a glass doll.

"I love you boys so much. I just want what's best for you. I'm the only one who can take care of you boys, and it hurts that you two don't seem to appreciate the things I do."

Mikey laid his hands over his father's. "W-we do...it won't happen again. We promise."

"You're such a good boy Michel. I'm sorry you had to see that."

Their father smiled softly down at him. It was hard to believe that he had been so angry only moments before, like a switch had been flipped. But there was something else in his eyes. Something much scarier to Mikey than his anger.

His father kissed the top of his head and Mikey felt incredibly sick. He was only able to breathe comfortably again when their dad pulled away and sat back down in his chair, as if none of that had happened. It almost would have made Mikey wonder if he had imagined it, were it not for Ralph's beaten body on the floor.

Mikey scrambled to his brother's side and helped him to his feet, whispering words of comfort and encouragement as they made their way back to their shared room. After carefully laying Ralph onto the bottom bunk of the bed he helped him get his shirt off to look at the damages. If their father was good at anything, it was hitting the less noticeable places. The red mark on both their faces would mostly fade by the next day and could be explained away, and the bruises that were starting to show up were all in places that could be covered easily with a shirt and pants. Still, they looked very painful, and it was obvious that Ralph was too sore to move much. He was just grateful that tomorrow wasn't a school day. Mikey planned on keeping Ralph in bed all day, but what if even that wasn't enough? What if something happened between right then and Monday?

Ralph had gotten very good at reading his little brother, even in a state like this. Slowly reaching up, he gripped his arm.

"He didn't leave any cuts Mikey. I'm fine alright," Ralph mumbled, giving his brother what was supposed to be a reassuring smile that only managed to look tired and fake.

Mikey wasn't letting it slide. Not tonight. He gave a small frown and wiped at his still damp eyes. "If you think I am letting you set one foot out of bed tomorrow-"

"Mikey, I'm fine. This...this ain't a big deal. I'm used to it, alright?"

"That's gonna be a hard one to explain to Donnie," Mikey said quietly, almost to himself. "Maybe...maybe it should be."

Now it was Ralph's turn to frown. "What are you talking about?"

Mikey bit his bottom lip ain thought and met his brother's eyes with a look of determination. "What if we told him? Tell him what dad does to you?"

He saw Ralph's face go blank and his tone turned a little desperate.

"You said dad was wrong. You said we have someone who cares. Donnie...Donnie's our friend. He'll understand, he'll help us!"

Ralph's expression didn't change and Mikey felt his eyes watering again as he held Ralph's hand tighter.

"We could get out of here Raph! He'd let us stay with him, I know he would! A-and his parents seem to like us a lot, I'm sure they wouldn't mind either! We could crash with them a while! We could get jobs of our own and then get our own place. Just like we always talked about. And Donnie could come too! We would all live together and not worry about getting hit or yelled at ever again! Come on, whatta you say?"

"Don't be stupid Mikey."

The words felt like a heavy stone, mercilessly crushing his heart. Ralph wasn't looking at him anymore, just staring blankly at the top bunk above him.

"Donnie may be our friend for now, but we can't drag him into this...not this. It ain't any of his business or anyone else's. You know what they would do if they found out? They'd tell us to get lost, that it isn't their problem."

"But-"

"-and if someone did find out what Dad was doing? He'd get carted off to prison or something at best and you and me would end up in an orphanage or foster home. They wouldn't let me keep you, Mikey. They'd put us in the system and when I age out of it, they'll toss me out and you'd be all alone. We'd get split up."

Raph glanced up at Mikey with that dead look still in his eyes.

"At the end of it all, you and me are all we got, little bro."

Mikey couldn't look at his brother anymore. He couldn't take that look of defeat any longer, so he looked down. Shutting his eyes tightly, Mikey felt his nails dig painfully into his palm but he didn't care. It wasn't fair. What had they done to deserve a life like this? How could they even call this a life?!

The blond hadn't even realised he was crying until Ralph pulled him into a tight hug and started wiping away his tears.

"There's no reason for you tah cry Mikey. I gotcha, and I ain't lettin' nobody hurt you."

"But what about you?" Mikey hated the way his voice sounded, as wet as his tears. He was always in tears lately. Always sobbing and crying in a corner while he watched their dad beat up on his brother, unable to do anything but beg for it to be over. He felt so useless...so pathetic.

"What I tell ya bout doin' my job?" Ralph hugged Mikey even tighter to him. "I'm the oldest, I'm supposed to be the one lookin' out for you. Don't worry about me, okay little bro? I'll be fine, I've gotten used to it by now, remember? It really ain't a big deal."

He pulled back to wipe away his brother's fresh tears. "Just don't stop smilin' okay? Don't let what's goin' on with me get to yah. A'right?"

Mikey sniffled again then took a deep breath, calming himself down. Beaming up at his brother, he nodded, tears still threatening to spill over.

"Okay...if you say so."

Raph gave a satisfied smile, and nodded as well before letting go of Mikey. Relaxing back in the bed he suddenly felt really, really tired. He yawned and shut his eyes.

"It's late, go tah bed. You can have the top bunk tonight."

Mikey gave a silent nod before scrambling up to the top bunk. Then he just laid there. When he heard the sound of his brother's snoring he carefully crawled back down, careful not to make a sound. Shutting the door silently, he made his way back to the living room where their father still sat, who didn't look up from the TV when he asked, "Is he asleep?"

Mikey nodded with a soft, "Mhm."

Their father shut the TV off and stood, stretched, and walked to his bedroom. His son silently followed behind him, his head down, his eyes lifeless. The two disappeared into the dark room, and the door shut behind them.


End file.
